Cardiac Pathology Flashcards
What is the most common type of heart disease and leading cause of death?
Coronary Artery Disease
Increasing age, Male gender, Hypertension, Hyperlipedemia, Cigarette Smoking & Diabetes are risk factors for what?
Coronary Artery Disease/Ischemic Heart Disease
List the most common sites of atherosclerotic disease in the heart in increasing order
LAD > RCA > LCX > LCA
Distinguish a R. vs. L. dominant heart
R. Dominant - Posterior descending artery is supplied by R. coronary A.
L. Dominant - Posterior descending artery is supplied by L. circumflex A
Substernal chest pain (crushing, stabbing, squeexing); pain that radiates to neck jaw or schoulder; Rapid, weak pulse; profuse sweating; nauseas & vomiting; dyspnea and discomfort are all classic clinical features of what?
Myocardial Infarction
Causes of Coronary Artery Disease
Atherosclerosis
Coronary artery emboli
Myocardial vessel inflammation (vasculitis)
Vessel spasm
What is the most sensitive and specific biomarkers of myocardial damage
Cardiac troponin T and I
They are proteins that regulate calcium mediated contraction of cardiac muscle
What proteins are used to determine myocardial damage but are not gold standard
Creatine kinase MB heterodimer - is sensitive but not specific for cardiac injury
Myoglobin - It is nonspecific for cardiac injury
elevation of cardiac enzymes in a typical assay is seen as early as _____, _____ returns to normal after 48 to 72 hours and troponin remains elevated for _____
3 hours
CK-MB
>5 days
Occlusion of the LAD causes infarction of what?
Apex, LV anterior wall & anterior 2/3 of septum
Occlusion of the circumflex A. causes infarction of what?
L. ventricular lateral wall
Occlusion of the RCA causes infarction of what?
RV, LV posterior wall, posterior 1/3 of septum
At what point are the following irreversible histologic changes seen in a MI seen:
- Slight waviness of fibers
- Very early coagulation necrosis and edema
- Coagulation necrosis increases with loss of nuclei, hypereosiniophilic
- Neutrophil infiltrate, yellow tan infarct
- Presence of Macrophages
- Scar tissue is being laid down
- Scarring complete and consists of a dense scar
- 30 mins - 4 hrs
- 4 hrs - 12 hrs
- 12 hrs - 24 hrs
- 1 - 3 days
- 3 days - 1 week
- 1-2 weeks
- 2 months
What is the time frame and characteristics of the early complications of an MI
First 24 hours
- Life threatening arrhythmias (V fib)
- Contractile/Cardiogenic Dysfunction (Shock)
What is the time frame and characteristics of the intermediate complications of an MI
2-4 days and up to 2 weeks
- Rupture: free wall, septum and papillary muscles
- Acute fibrinous pericarditis
What is the time frame and characteristics of the late complications of an MI
After 2 weeks
- Chronic pericarditis (Dressler Syndrome)
- Ventricular aneurysm
- Continued risk of heart failure and life threatening arrhythmia
What is the number one cause of death due to an MI & when does it typically occur
Arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation w/in 1 hour of onset